By Peter and Tracy Flucke
Special to The Press Times
BROWN COUNTY – We Wisconsinites are a hearty bunch.
A little bit of snow, ice and temperatures below freezing aren’t going to stop us.
We walk, run, snowshoe, ice skate, cross-country/downhill ski, ice fish and snowmobile in the winter, but why not bicycle?
Many of us have been bicycling on local roads and trails throughout the winter for years.
Some of us need our bicycles for transportation, while others can’t bear to give up the sport we love.
Either way, winter bicycling is a thing, and it’s becoming easier and getting more popular.
The Fox River Trail is now plowed year-round from Main Street in the City of Green Bay to Heritage Road in De Pere.
The invention of mountain bikes in the late 1970s and early 1980s opened the off-road world to bicyclists.
Mountain bike’s wider, lower-pressure, tires and upright riding position make them more stable and maneuverable on loose and uneven surfaces, including dirt and snow.
The 1970s 10-speeds with their skinny tires and drop handlebars were treacherous on snow and ice.
Mountain bikes became easier to ride in the winter with the addition of studded tires, but they still weren’t perfect and only appealed to the most adventurous riders.
Enter the “fat bike.”
With their oversized, low-pressure, balloon-like tires, fat bikes provide better traction on soft surfaces like dirt and snow, allowing you to ride where you have never ridden before – think beaches and snow-covered trails.
This flexibility has made fat bikes incredibly popular in some areas, including Northeastern Wisconsin.
Fat bikes were a novelty item when they hit the market in the early 2000s, but today, almost every bike shop sells them and some have rentals, there are dedicated trails, clubs, special events, and races for winter biking.
Fat bike rentals
- Broken Spoke – $20/hour
- New Zoo Adventure Park – $20/hour
- Pete’s Garage – $55/day
- Stadium Bike – $15/hour, $40/day, $60/24 hours
Local fat bike trails
- Brown County Reforestation Camp
- He-Nis-Ra Park
- Ledgeview Golf Course
Fat bike clubs
- Green Bay Fat Bike
Special events
- Bike Across Bago – Feb. 21, 2020
Fat bike races
- Snow Crown Fat-Bike Series – Brown County Reforestation Camp – Jan. 18, 2020
Tips
- When winter biking, dress as if you are going skiing or snowshoeing.
- When biking off-road, stay away from snowmobile and cross-country ski trails, and always check with property owners.
Not quite ready to hit the snow-cover trails or roads on a bike? Don’t despair – the Titletown District has ice bikes you can try on their skating rink. You won’t find any slipping and sliding but all the fresh air and fun.
Ice bike rentals
Titletown District – $10/30 minutes
Editor’s notes: Peter and Tracy Flucke are authors of the book “Coast to Coast on a Tandem” and owners of WE BIKE, etc., a national bicycle and pedestrian consulting business based in Ashwaubenon. Send questions to [email protected].